Chivas USA parts ways with Coach Preki

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Four days after being eliminated in the first round of the Major League Soccer playoffs for the fourth year in a row, Chivas USA this afternoon parted company with Coach Preki ‘by mutual agreement.’

The 46-year-old former MLS and U.S. national team standout said he was leaving to pursue other coaching opportunities. His contract with Chivas was due to expire at the end of the year.

‘In my time here I have grown as a coach,’ Preki said, ‘and I am proud of our accomplishments. I will always have good memories of my time with Chivas USA.’

He met with the players earlier today and told them of his decision.

Preki served as an assistant coach under Bob Bradley in 2006 and then took charge of the Chivas team on Jan. 17, 2007, after Bradley left to become U.S. national team coach. In his three seasons, Preki compiled a 40-29-21 record in the regular season and a 0-3-3 record in the playoffs.

‘Preki has brought a great deal of success to this team and is an important part of our history,’ Steve Hamilton, the club’s vice president of soccer operations, said in a statement released by the team. ‘His dedication and expertise have led us to the playoffs in each of his seasons here, and we owe him our thanks for all he has given the club.’

Although there was no immediate indication of where Preki might go, there was a possibility that he could rejoin Bradley on the national team, especially since one of Bradley’s assistants, Peter Nowak, left earlier this year to become coach of the Philadelphia Union, which begins MLS play next season.

Also, D.C. United has parted ways with Tom Soehn, so there is an opening there, and a number of other MLS clubs are believed to be considering coaching changes.

Chivas USA has not indicated when it will name a replacement, or who that replacement might be.

--Grahame L. Jones